Prathesthai Television Broadcasting Corporation
Prathesthai Television Broadcasting Corporation (also known as Thailand Television Corporation/บริษัท โทรทัศน์ประเทศไทย จำกัด, officially abbreviated as PTBC) is a Thai television network operated by Kabushiki Gaisha ABS. Early history As part of an expansion plan laid out by members of Kabushiki Gaisha ABS' Sendai Annexe, Prathesthai Television Broadcasting was slated as a Siamese-Japanese joint co-operative effort that would see Japanese, Korean and European programming broadcast into Thailand via satellite, cable and digital terrestrial television systems. MTBS took 50% ownership in multiple ABS affiliates. The most of programmes is Entertainment, Drama, Variety Shows. The network launched on the 29th of April 2016. PTB inaugurated a new headquarter building in the city of Bangkok on the 2nd of May that year. Broadcasting The network mostly runs programmes in English and/or Japanese, with subtitles for Thai-speakers available via the remote control. A sister station, PTBC N24, runs on channel 16 in a rolling-news format. Controversies PTBC has been engaged in multiple broadcast customs controversies, mainly circulating around broadcasting customs rejected by PTBC to keep with Kabushiki Gaisha ABS' unbiased and personality-cult-free environment. National anthem controversy On its very first day of broadcasting, PTB came under fire from media regulators and national television broadcasters for refusing to co-operate with other networks as they ran a simultaneous performance of the Thai national anthem on two occasions at 8am and 6pm that day. This is a common practise exercised every day by television and radio broadcasters, as well as public PA operators and citizens. The King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, pardoned Kabushiki Gaisha ABS and PTBC on grounds of being unfamiliar with the practise. PTBC is still unwilling to play the anthem "excessively" on two occasions each and every single day, and started looking into alternate pieces of content that could be aired in those time spaces. It was soon decided that PTBC would run a special "quickfire" news briefing bulletin (inspired by the former BBC Three/BBC News "60 Seconds" bulletins) at these times. Failure to cease broadcasting after death of King When King Bhumibol Adulyadej's death on the 13th of October 2016, television stations were ordered by the government to terminate broadcasting, cancel all regularly-scheduled programmes for the next 30 days, and run a tribute programme documenting the life and times of the King. PTBC, in yet another controversial move against "excessive" cult-of-personality propaganda for the King, refused to participate, shut down its Bangkok annexe temporarily, and continued its regular broadcasting through a simulcast of ABS' main international feed. This feed was cut off later that day after PTBC was given a warning by media regulators. However, instead of running the royal tribute, they simply signed off. Many other international stations reported that their signals were overridden; the BBC and Al Jazeera being notable victims, with their BBC World and Al Jazeera English channels respectively being shut down at satellite headend level. PTBC, when it signed back on the next day, finally gave in and ran a notice on their off-air channel, to the backing of music from ABS' Radio 1 FM station from Japan. An offer was made to allow the channel to join others in a restricted broadcasting mode (entertainment programmes cancelled, news coverage restricted, all TPT-broadcast royal ceremonies to be shown immediately), but this was turned down by PTBC in an attempt to preserve neutrality. PTBC N24 was also affected by this decision. ABS Anywhere terminated its live streams of PTBC and PTBC N24 after both channels ceased broadcasting. Pre-recorded shows and live broadcasts from previous days prior to the seizure of broadcasting remains available to viewers. PTBC was reported to have continuously attempted to make requests for the channel to resume full service, however these requests were repeatedly rejected by the government. Kabushiki Gaisha ABS was reportedly threatening a total, permanent shutdown of PTBC if "the situation does not improve to a degree where we are allowed to resume broadcasting under our commitment of political neutrality". Later, the regulators finally granted an exemption to PTBC's requirement to participate in the royal tributes. Even after this exemption was granted, the channel announced that it was going to enter its own state of "restricted service", with no advertising of any kind (even non-commercial ads for PTBC programming was to be removed), all live programming being postponed, Thai subtitles being stripped from imported programmes, and Thai-language programmes being cancelled entirely, with the latter two measures believed to be implemented in order to hinder access to the channel by regular Thai people. However, a temporary suspension of all broadcasting was later deemed as the best option after much controversy surrounding the situation at hand. The channel ceased all transmissions when it was in a "signed off" state during the overnight hours of the 19th of November, with a tribute slide being run for the last 24 hours of transmission prior to its full transmitter shutdown on the 20th. Shutdown The situation at hand after the King's death and the termination of innumerable television station broadcasts on other local channels was eventually deemed too much for PTBC, despite many pardonings and legislature exemptions. PTBC terminated satellite, cable and terrestrial transmissions at 1:21am local time on the 20th of October 2016. The channel was removed from the True Visions EPG 2 days later. Many of the now-closed network's programmes are still available on the internet, cable and satellite in the form of ABS' International channel (the latter of which was exempted from the attacks of TPT as an international outside broadcast channel on True Visions). Kabushiki Gaisha ABS had officially declared that PTBC, in its current form, would cease broadcasting until further notice, but states that it is not ruling out a return to the local Thai television market once the political situation improves. PTBC's former headquarter building was appointed as an international bureau for ABS N24. Restart of transmissions as Channel O On the 31st of October 2016, After cease operation of PTBC, MTBS has relaunch they own entertainment channel "Channel O" with less entertainment while in Condolenses Time. After 26th October 2017. Channel O has fully-launch of entertainment and music shows from East Asia (like South Korea, Japan) and more. Category:Aso Broadcasting System Category:Day of Anpanman participants Category:Thailand Category:Fictional television networks Category:Fictional television network